Name: ____________________

Unit P1-04 – Motion and Forces in 2D*

Lesson Notes

P1-04-1: Vectors

You have studied six quantities that are vectors. List those quantities here.

How do we indicate that an algebraic symbol represents a vector quantity?


Explain what components of a vector are. Draw the components of vector A on the
diagram to the right and state the components Ax and Ay.

Explain the process of adding vectors graphically.

How do you add vectors by components?

How do you find the components of a vector?

How can you change a vector’s components into the vector’s magnitude and direction?

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Test Your Understanding: In the three examples below, a set of vectors is shown on the top grid. Using the
“parallelogram method”, draw the resultant of vectors A and B.

Test Your Understanding: In the three examples below, a set of vectors is shown on the top grid. Using the
“tail-to-tip method”, show how to add those vectors in the bottom grid, and then draw the resultant.

Example: Vector A has magnitude 5, and vector B has magnitude 15. Five students also know the directions
of A and B, but you do not. The five students attempt to find the resultant C = A + B. The students’ then report
the magnitude of the resultant vector C:

Andy: The magnitude of C is 5. Bernard: The magnitude of C is 10. Cliff: The magnitude of C is 15.
Daniel: The magnitude of C is 20. Edward: The magnitude of C is 25.

Which two students are idiots, and why?

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Test Your Understanding: The vectors A and B are shown below. Show the resultant of each of the
operations indicated.
A–B B–A

2B ½B –½B


Test Your Understanding: The vector V shown starts with components
(40, 30) at time t = 0. Each second, the vertical component decreases by 10.
Answer the following:
 
When is V the shortest? __________ What is V ’s shortest length? ________

When is V again the same length that it was at time t = 0? __________

Is vector V ever zero? Explain:

Test Your Understanding: Vector A has magnitude 4. Vector B has magnitude 3. You choose the directions
of A and B. Choose those directions and show how to add A and B so that the resultant has:
A magnitude of 7. A magnitude of 1. A magnitude of 5.

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Test Your Understanding: Let the vectors A = 5 @ 53.13 and B = 5 @ –143.13. Find the components of
each vector, and draw each vector on the grids below.

Vector A Vector B

Components: (_____, _____) Components: (_____, _____)

Find the resultant of A + 2B both by adding the components and using the grid below.

A = 5 @ 53.13 = ( _____ , _____ )

+ 2B = 5 @ − 143.13 = ( _____ , _____ )
R = ___ @ ______ = ( _____ , _____ )

P1-04-2: Projectile Motion

When an object is a projectile, what is the shape of the path that it travels? (The answer is NOT “arc”).

How is the direction of velocity related to the parabolic path at each point? (Starts with a “T”.)

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What happens to the horizontal component of velocity as the projectile travels? Why?

What happens to the vertical component of the velocity as the projectile travels? Why?

At what point in the path is the vertical component of the velocity zero? Why?

At what point in the path is the speed of the projectile zero? Why?

What is the direction of net force at all points in the projectile’s path? Why?

What is the direction of acceleration at all points in the projectile’s path? Why?

A person throws a ball in such a way that its speed is zero at one particular point in its path. How did the person
throw the ball?

Fill in this table:

Direction Type of Motion Position Equation Velocity Equation Initial Velocity

Horizontal

Vertical

Test Your Understanding: A projectile travels from point A to point G as shown below. Find the components
of the velocity vector at point A. Then determine the components of velocity at every other point; use the fact
that each point occurs 1 second after the previous point. Also use g = 10 m/s2.

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Example 1: A student throws a ball horizontally off Draw a Diagram Here!

of the roof of the Chase Bank Building in downtown

Dallas, 125 m above the ground. The ball strikes the
ground 100 m away from the base of the building.
How fast did the student throw the ball? (Use g = 10
m/s2.)

Solution:

Sketch a graph of each of the following as a function of time:

Important Points To Remember About Horizontal Launch:

The horizontal initial velocity is equal to _________________________.

The vertical initial velocity is equal to __________.

The projectile motion equations simplify to _______________ and _______________.

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Example 2: Tanner stands on the 30-m line of a Draw a Diagram Here!

metric football field (numbered 0 to 100 meters) and

kicks a football at an angle of 53 with an initial
velocity of 25 m/s for a kickoff. Using g = 10 m/s2,
find:

(a) the time the football is in the air (b) the meter line the ball lands on (c) the highest height the football
reaches

Sketch a graph of each of the following as a function of time:

Important Points To Remember About Ground-To-Ground Launch:

The final vertical velocity is equal to ___________________________________________________________.

Use this to find the time by ___________________________________________________________________.

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Example 3: It is November 22, 1963
in an alternate universe. The
motorcade transporting President
Kennedy is traveling down Main
Street when Kennedy spots Oswald in
a much taller Book Depository
window. Kennedy immediately draws
a crossbow and, at time t = 0, fires an
arrow directly at Oswald. The air does
not affect the arrow in any way.
Oswald tries to dodge the arrow by
jumping out the window from rest at
exactly time t = 0.

What are the components of the arrow’s initial At what height above the launch point does the arrow
velocity? reach the building?

At what time does the arrow reach the plane of the At what height above the launch point is Oswald when
building? the arrow reaches the building?

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Example 4: At point O on the roof of a building, a
ball is shot from an initial height of 8 m with initial
speed 10 m/s at an angle of 37o. The ball passes
through point A (the highest point in its path), point B
(at the same height as point O), and then lands on the
flat ground at point C.

Fill in the table below showing the time when the ball reached, horizontal distance the ball has traveled, the
vertical height of the ball, and the components of the ball's velocity at each of the four lettered points. Finally,
create the six projectile motion graphs to scale, with numerical scales that represent the motion of this ball.

Time Horizontal Distance Vertical Height Horizontal Velocity Vertical Velocity

t [s] x [m] y [m] vx [m/s] vy [m/s]
O

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P1-04-3: Forces in Equilibrium

If a system does not accelerate, then the system obeys Newton’s First Law, which states that all of the forces on
the object balance. Write Newton’s First Law in component form using the  sign.

Test Your Understanding: Each of the cases below shows a box of mass m suspended from two ropes. The
grid in the background of the diagram is to help you see the different angles that the ropes can make. For each
case, draw a free-body diagram on the dot below each diagram showing the forces acting on the box. Let the
weight force in each case be a vector that is 4 squares long.

Example: Both of the spring scales shown read force F. Using a free-body
diagram showing the forces acting on the block and their components, derive
an expression for F in terms of m, g, and θ.

It is impossible for the angle θ to become 90o and both ropes to become horizontal. Using your three-case
diagrams above, explain why. Then explain why using your equation for F.

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Test Your Understanding: Each of the cases below shows a ball of mass m suspended from two ropes. The
grid in the background of the diagram is to help you see the different angles that the ropes can make. For each
case, draw a free-body diagram on the dot below each diagram showing the forces acting on the box. Let the
weight force in each case be a vector that is 2 squares long.

Example: The spring scale labeled A measures a force FA,

and the spring scale labeled B measures force FB. Using a
free-body diagram showing the forces acting on the block
and their components, derive expressions for FA and FB in
terms of m, g, and θ.

It is impossible for the angle θ to become 90o and both ropes to become horizontal. Using your three-case
diagrams above, explain why. Then explain why using your equations for FA and FB.

Example: In the diagram below, a sphere is held at rest by a long cord and
a short cord. Which cord (long or short) has greater tension? Use a free-
body diagram (where the ball's weight is 5 squares) to justify your answer.

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P1-04-4: Dynamics in 2D

If a system does accelerate, then the acceleration has horizontal and vertical components (ax and ay). Write
Newton’s Second Law in component form using the  sign. The box at the bottom of page 86 can help.

Newton’s Laws can be reduced to the following two rules governing forces relative to acceleration.
• Forces that are perpendicular to the ____________________ vector will _________________________.
• Forces that are parallel to the ____________________ vector will _________________________, but if
the force is __________ to ____________________, we count that force as ____________________.
Show this concept in the following three situations (assume there is friction in the first two):

Parallel Eqn:____________________ Parallel Eqn:_________________ Parallel Eqn:________________

Perpendicular Eqn:_______________ Perpendicular Eqn:____________ Perpendicular Eqn:___________

Test Your Understanding: A 50 N force is applied to the box at a 37o

above the horizontal as shown. The coefficient of kinetic friction between
the box and plane is 0.4. Draw the other forces acting on the box, and write
two equations that relate the forces on the box.

What is the normal force acting on What is the friction force acting on What is the acceleration of the box?
the box? the box?

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Now suppose that the box is being pushed with a 50 N force as shown.

The normal force is now ________ The friction force is now ________ The acceleration is now ________
than before. Explain. than before. Explain. than before. Explain.

Test Your Understanding: When an object is on an inclined plane, the _______________ force is the one that
makes the oblique angle with the acceleration.

The block’s mass is m. No Friction. The block’s mass is m. Coefficient of Friction is .

What is the normal force on the block? What is the normal force on the block?

What is the acceleration of the block? What is the acceleration of the block?

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Example: Determine the normal force on the 10 kg mass in each of the following diagrams.

Example: Determine the acceleration of the 10 kg mass in each diagram.

A 50 N force is applied to the box. The object accelerates horizontally.

Example: Calculate the acceleration of these blocks

once the system is released from rest and calculate
the tension in the string. Start with free-body
diagrams on the two objects. Assume the 12 kg
object accelerates downward.

__________− ____________________ = __________

forwardF on 12 kg backwardF on 12 kg massaccel of 12 kg

__________− ____________________ = __________

forwardF on 8 kg backwardF on 8 kg massaccel of 8 kg

__________− ____________________ = __________

forwardF on system backwardF on system massaccel of system

Show your process for solving for the system acceleration and the tension in the string.

*(C) 2023 John Frensley.

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